National Corvette Museum
Bowling Green, KY
April 24-27, 2003
This is always a great event, although attendance was way down this year.
Many people opted to go to the huge 50th birthday celebration in June instead.
Nevertheless, the C5 people remain as generous as ever toward our mission:
We were able to send $1033.00 to the American Cancer Society
in Bowling Green as a result of our efforts there.
I got to meet Brenda Moore, ACS Bowling Green Development Rep,
who stopped by at the Museum on Friday to get acquainted.
Sunday, April 20
Starting out.
That's my laptop 'co-pilot" on the new mount,
courtesy of Ed Duprey of Great Lakes Trophy.
Thanks, Ed, it works GREAT!
Monday, April 21
after a night with my parents in Philadelphia.
Don't you feel so much safer in that cool SUV?
Tuesday, April 22
Sideling Hill on I-68 in MD.
This must be Lexington, Kentucky.
Wednesday, April 23
Somewhere out there in the morning mist is Reba McIntire's estate.
This is on the way to Firestone in Nashville for new tires.
Wheels removed in Firestone's shop. Then we trucked the wheels/tires across town to
Hennessy Industries, mfgr of Coats tire machines, to mount the new tires on the new
wheels provided by Mike Sweeney of Corvette Wheel Specialists.
Off with the old, on with the new.
Left to right: Mark Kuykendall (Firestone), Martin (Hennessy), Dave Shepherd
(Hennessy VP of Sales), Chuck Cunningham (Hennessy Product Design),
Tom Noe (Firestone)
Back at Firestone for balancing & reinstallation on the car.
I think I found the squeak!
At the Museum's back door to unload my display, I found myself in good company.
Thanks to Mike Sweeney, Corvette Wheel Specialist,
for the beautiful new 2001 style chrome wheels, and to Firestone for the new tires and for doing the swap!
Thursday, April 24
On the turntable in the front window of the Museum is the ONLY 1983 Vette.
Note the different wheels, left & right! Right side has the production wheels.
The lefts are wheels that appeared only in pre-release photos and artwork.
Friday, April 25
Unveiling of the 2004 Le Mans Commemorative edition C5s drew a big crowd.
Corvette Plant Manager Wil Cooksey was driving this black Cadillac XLR which
is produced in the same plant. It looks much better in black than the steel gray I
had seen several times before, first at Pebble Beach in August of '02 (below)
Our parking spot for 3 days.
Dave Hill (left) and Wil Cooksey (center) doing autographs.
Wil's on my hood, above John Cafaro's.
Thanks also to Marshall Fancher of Corvette Dreams
for his generous financial support.
Saturday, April 26
My "office" for the three days, in the "Atrium" section of the Museum.
Auction at the Banquet Saturday evening.
This was after the dinner, and after I drew the winning ticket for the
50/50 drawing that generated the $1033.00 that I was
able to send to the American Cancer Society in Bowling Green.
Sunday, April 27
I had to stop at the American Cancer Society on the way out of town for this photo.
Farewell to the National Corvette Museum once again.
Monday, April 28
Final stats back in Maine Monday afternoon after an overnight in Scranton, PA.
Yeah, I know. The "Check Engine" light is on.
Code "P1870" indicates "Transmission component slipping."
Everything seemed to be working normally. I reset the code and it hasn't come back.
I'm not going to lose sleep over it!